Keeping in view the municipal elections of Delhi which is coming up in 2017, the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has decided to increase the fund for Local Area Development (LAD)

Last time it was increased from Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore by the Sheila Dikshit government in 2011. (PTI)

Keeping in view the municipal elections of Delhi which is coming up in 2017, the Arvind Kejriwal led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has decided to increase the fund for Local Area Development (LAD) allocated to each MLA straight up by 250 percent from Rs 4 crore to Rs 14 crore.

Last time it was increased from Rs 2 crore to Rs 4 crore by the Sheila Dikshit government in 2011. As per official sources the hike has been promulgated to facilitate the legislators to execute development works in their respective constituencies.

The proposal has been sent to the centre and is subject to the cabinet’s approval following which it will be tabled in the Delhi assembly.

It so happened that out of the previously allocated Rs 4 crore, Rs one crore has to be spent on works pertaining to Delhi Jal board, as a result of which the MLAs often ran out of funds. In the present scenario of increased funds, a single allocation of Rs 10 crore will be made for each MLA in the current financial year.

If the proposal gets approved the AAP will allocate Rs 700 crore to all 70 legislators (67AAP+3BJP). The previously allocated fund grossing Rs 280 crore has already been disbursed by the AAP government.

This increase in LAD fund if approved will be the highest in the country by far. An official on the condition of anonymity said that all the three MCDs have failed to execute developmental works for want of funds.